AD Agencies
Bharat Media recruits Sumaiya Shaikh Vaidya in biz development role
MUMBAI: From being an executive assistant or administrator for almost 10 years in various companies in the beginning of her career, to associate director business development at the Bharat Media & Entertainment group (BMEG), Sumaiya Shaikh Vaidya has progressed extremely well.
Her first big break outside the EA or admin role came when she was appointed as a deputy manager at India News in charge of revenue generation from the western Indian region – a position she enjoyed for two years. Following this, she moved to Star TV as a senior sales executive , hopping on to dailyhunt for five months as regional manager, and then back to Disney Star for more than five years, leaving it in December 2024 as assistant manager looking after revenues for Star Suvarna SD, HD & Plus. In between she dabbled in short assignments for companies such as Red Digital Cinema, Aidem Ventures and dailyhunt.
Her motto all along has been “to seek a higher level of work to expand my experience.”
BMEG is headed by Andy Charles and is a marketing service company with expertise in media planning and buying skills, strategic brand building, OOH + experiential, and creative design solutions. It has offices in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi , Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad and Kolkata with new age clients such as Dangal, Linc, KochiKodens, Rapido, Bombay Shaving Co, IDBI Bank, among a long list of others.
AD Agencies
Microsoft shifts global media account from Dentsu to Publicis Groupe: Reports
Closed review ends decade-long tie-up; Xbox remit may remain with Dentsu
MUMBAI: Microsoft has reassigned its global media planning and buying business to Publicis Groupe, according to media reports, ending Dentsu’s long-standing stewardship of one of the advertising industry’s biggest accounts.
The move follows a closed review and marks a notable shake-up in the global media landscape. Dentsu, which managed the account through Carat, had held the mandate since 2014 and successfully defended it in a 2018 review.
While the broader business is shifting, Dentsu is expected to retain media responsibilities for Xbox, according to media reports, though the exact contours of that arrangement remain unclear. None of the parties involved have publicly outlined the transition timeline or the full structure of the handover.
The scale of the account underscores the significance of the change. Estimates from COMvergence, cited by Ad Age, peg Microsoft’s global media spend at roughly $700 million last year.
For Publicis Groupe, the win deepens an already expanding relationship with the tech giant. Earlier this year, Microsoft Advertising partnered with Publicis Media Exchange and Epsilon to integrate Epsilon’s data into its platform, aiming to sharpen targeting across search, native and display formats.
The decision reflects a broader industry shift, as large advertisers increasingly favour agency partners with strong first-party data capabilities, AI integration and platform-led solutions. Publicis Groupe has been leaning into this model, positioning its data assets and technology stack as a central differentiator.
For Dentsu, the loss is significant. Media remains a core pillar of its global business, and the development comes close on the heels of leadership changes, including the appointment of Takeshi Sano as global chief executive officer.
The shift also carries a touch of irony. Microsoft and Dentsu have worked closely beyond the client-agency relationship, including collaborations around AI tools such as Copilot to support media and creative workflows.
As the dust settles, the message is clear: in today’s data-driven, AI-powered media world, relationships may be long, but they are rarely permanent.
